Portable clothes drier



Dec. l0, 1968 H. M. LOWE PORTABLE CLOTHES DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheefl l FiledOct. '26, 1966 INVENTOR. /ARawM awE BY CAarHee$C4eomfRs ,Ll/:A Tram/frsDec. l0, 1968 H. M. LOWE PORTABLE CLOTHES DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y .9 II3.

Filed OCT.. 26, 1966 R.E mm Wj 1M 0 ,m M H BY CA @o rHf/s 64m was H15 Arra @N5 v5 United States Patent O 3,415,387 PRTABLE CLTHES DRER HaroldM. Lowe, 145 Beekman Road, Summit, NJ. 07901 Filed Oct. 26, 1966, Ser.No. @9,703 17 Claims. (Cl. 211-ll@.l5)

ABSTRACT F THE DHSCLOSURE Elongated clothesline cleats which securepasses of clothesline for a clothes drier. Each cleat consists of twoelongated members which have lateral interpolating projections whichextend longitudinally with the members. The clothesline is cooperativelygripped by and between these projections through reverse curvature toprevent it from being withdrawn laterally. U-shaped channels arereceived over the interengaged cleat with the side flanges of thechannel extending therebeyond to provide overlying top and bottomplates. These plates have vertically misaligned openings to receiveelongated ground supports in an outwardly disposed manner.

This invention relates generally to clothes driers and more particularlyto an improved portable clothes drier which is easily assembled anddisassembled.

The principal object of `this invention is the provision of a portableclothes drier which is economical to manufacture and assemble. Theclothes drier of the present invention is an improvement over my patentapplication Ser. No. 495,582, which was filed Oct. 13, 1965, now U.S.Patent 3,335,873, granted Aug. l5, 1967. The present invention has fewerparts to manufacture and requires less labor to assemble the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable clothesdrier with spaced elongated clothesline or flexible material cleatswhich have elongated members each having laterally interprojecting orinterpolating projections with cross-sectional configurations which whenreceiving the clothesline therebetween cooperatively grip the samethrough reverse curvature to interlock the flexible material orclothesline preventing it from being withdrawn laterally from betweenthe interlocked cleat. Two advantages are apparent in the structure ofthis cleat. First of all, no labor is expended in threading each pass of`clothesline through holes in the spaced clothesline cleat members andthen tying a knot thereafter in the end of the line to prevent it fromslipping back through the hole. All the passes of clothesline betweenthe cleats are simultaneously laid across one of the cooperative membersand the second cooperative member is then simply interlocked into thefirst thereby securing all the lines at once. The other importantadvantage is that the cooperative members making up each clotheslinecleat may be identical in structure thereby requiring one common stocktype of cooperative member to malte up the flexible material orclothesline cleat. This cleat is primarily intended to be used inconnection with my portable clothesline rack of the present invention,however, it also has probable application in folding furniture whereflexible material such as a light canvas is used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes drierwith spreading means to maintain the elongated clothesline cleats inspaced relation and to keep the lines taut. This spreader means may bein the form of a threadably extendable member placed between the cleatsor it may be a novel hinged member of the present invention connectedbetween the elongated cleats which when opened and forced past its deadcenter position with the lines taut, it will lock itself therebymaintaining the passes of clothesline in a taut condition.

CII

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A third spreading means and novel feature of the present invention whichmay be employed, provides a spring loaded member wherein a lever arm isemployed to draw two horizontally aligned arm members toward each otherthereby compressing a spring disposed between the arm members. In thismanner the spreading means may be inserted between the clotheslinecleats. When the lever arm is released, the compression spring willlongitudinally separate the arm members and maintain the passes ofclothesline under tension.

Another object is to provide a portable clothes drier which has spacedparallel overlying sets of top and bottom plates mounted on andextending horizontally from the spaced clothesline cleat members andhaving an opening in one of the top plates and a correspondingvertically misaligned opening in the respective underlying bottom plateto receive an end of one of the ground supports. The hole in theunderlying bottom plate is misaligned With the hole in the top plate sothat when the ground support, which may be for example an aluminum tube,is inserted through the holes, it is supported in an outwardly disposedmanner so that when a multiple of such supports is employed, theclothesline drier does not have a tendency to tip. Each support leg,being at an angle slightly otl vertical, binds in its respective top andbottom holes dlue to its own weight and thereby tends to be preventedfrom sliding out. Each set of the spaced top and bottom plates may beformed by the side flanges of a C-shaped channel which is placed overelongated clothesline cleats with its flanges extending therebeyond. Theportions of the flanges extending beyond the elongated cleat then formthe top and bottom plates in which the misaligned Iholes are placed toreceive one or more of the leg supports. Four such channels may beprovided, one at each end of the clothesline cleats or only two need beprovided, one at the center of each cleat rail or member. In the latterinstance the top extending part of the top flange is provided with twonarrowly spaced holes closely adjacent the cleat member encased by theC-channel and the bottom extending flange is provided with two holeswhich are spaced farther apart and spaced farther from the cleat memberthan the two top holes. Thus, when a leg or ground support is placed inone of the corresponding sets of top and bottom holes and a second legis placed in the second set of top and bottom holes, the two legs willnormally meet at an apex thereby forcing each leg to bind in itsrespective set of holes. These holes may be slightly oblong if the legsare tubular or slightly rectangular if the legs are square `so that theytit their respective top and bottom holes snugly when entering them atan outwardly disposed angle which is slightly olf vertical.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the leg supportswith stop means near their ends to be received by the openings in thetop and botto-m plates thereby preventing them from sliding all the waythrough their respective openings. This object may be accomplished ybytapering the ends of the ground support so that they gradually bind withthe openings as they are progressively inserted. This may also beaccomplished by providing an Iabutment surface or edge near the end ofthe ground support which will engage the bottom plate when the supporthas been properly inserted in its respective openings.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a lockingmeans to lock the supports or legs of the portable clothes drier inplace. This locking means may be in the `form `of a wedge of elastomersuch as rubber which when pivoted about an axis as by a small lever armshaft it will engage the ground support.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the legs or groundsupports with anchor means at their ends which contact the ground. Thisanchor means may 1be in the form of a bent spike secured to the end ofthe support or leg and which may be driven into the ground as by onesheel o-r it may be in the form of an upwardly facing dish connected by astem to the leg. In the latter instance sand or other 4material may beplaced in the dish to weight it down if so desired. However, it is notalways necessary to anchor the legs down as the length and outwardlydisposed placement of the legs is great enough to make tipping of thedrier ditlicult.

Another object is to provide the C-shaped channels with slots along thecenter of each of their webs to receive the ends of the spreader meanswhich ends may also continue to penetrate into the elongated cleatbetween successive passes of line where the liney enters into the cleatbetween its interlocking cooperative members. These C-channels alsoserve as clamps to maintain the cooperative members in interlockingengagement. Where such additional clamps are necessary, other C-clampchannels may be provided along the clothesline cleats. However, thelatter cleats need not have their tlanges extend beyond the thickness ofthe cleat and the inside surfaces of the cleat may be provided withinwardly protruding stop abutrnents to maintain the cooperating membersof the elongated cleat in clamped engagement.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the :followingdescription and claims and in the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplilicationwithout limiting the invention or claims thereto, certain practicalembodiments illustrating the principles of this invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a clothes drier of the present invention withportions thereof removed for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 2a is an enlarged sectional view in side elevation of the clothesdrier shown in FIG. 1 as seen along line Ztl-2a.

FIG. 2b is an enlarged end view of the clothesline cleat shown in theclothes drier of FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a structural variation of the `spreader meansemployed in the clothes drier of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the clothes drier shown in FIG. 1 andillustrates in addition the employment of anchor means.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the clothes drier l is made up of theelongated clothesline member or cleats 2 which receive passes of the-clothesline 3. The spreading means 4 is inserted between the cleats 2to maintain them in their spaced relation thereby maintaining theclothesline passes 3 in a taut position.

The spreading means 4 consists of the arm members 5 which yarepreferably aluminum tubing and of equal length. The arm members 5 arepivotally secured within the channel 6 -by means of the bolts 7 whichpass through the openings 9 in the side flanges 10 of the channel 6 andare secured by the lock nuts The channel 6 is provided with the topopening 11 in order to permit clearance of the ends 12 of the armmembers 5 when they are pivoted downwardly about the bolts 7 asillustrated in FIG. 2a when the clothes drier is in its yfully extendedposition. The channel 6 is positioned slightly below the horizontal lineof the clothesline 3. The channel 6 is prevented from assuming a lowerposition by reason of the arm members 5 engaging the ends 13 of the web14 of the channel. Thus, when the arm members 5 are in their closedposition (not sho-wn) such that they lie par-allel to each other in avertical plane, they must be -pivoted upwardly and outwardly until thepasses of clothesline 3 are in the same horizontal plane as thespreading means 4 at which time the passes of clothesline 3 are in anoverstretched condition. The arm members 5 may then be pivoted upwardlypast dead center until they maintain the fully extended positionillustrated in FIG. 2 at which point the clothesline passes 3 are in ataut condition but are, however, somewhat relaxed from theiroverstretched condition. In this taut condition the passes ofclothesline 3 maintain the spreader means 4 in a locked condition.

As the clothesline ages and is repeatedly stretched, it may becomenecessary to adjust the length of the spreader means in order tomaintain the clothesline passes 3 under the desired tension. This isaccomplished by providing the multiple adjustment holes 9 in the sideiiange-s 1;()` of the channel. Thus, the bolts 7 may be removed and thearm members 5 extended outwardly from each other to obtain the desiredlength at which point the bolts 7 may be reinse-rted. The adjustmentholes 9 are positioned slightly otl vertical and in line with the armmembers 5 so that as the bolts 7 are re-positioned in the holes 9, thearm members 5 will always maintain the same angular position when thespreading means t is placed in its locked o-r past dead center position.

The clothesline cleats 2 consist of the pair of elongated cooperativemembers 1S which are identical in structure and have the interengagingor interpolating lateral projections 16 which cooperatively grip theclothesline 3 through reverse curvature to interlock the same andprevent it from being withdrawn laterally from between the cooperativemembers 2. The protruding longitudinal edges of projections 16 areenlarged by longitudinal abutments 18 to maintain the cooperativemembers in an interlocked or snapped condition when the clothesline 3 isgripped therebetween. The laterally extending projections 16 also extendlongitudinally with the elongated members i5.

The elongated cooperative members 15 are preferably of extruded aluminumbut can also be made from extruded plastic. The interengagingprojections 16 grip the clothesline therebetween as the members arepressed together. The spreading means d and the cleats 2 are supportedabove the ground by the legs or ground supports 2G which are preferablya light metal tubing. The supports 20 are secured to the cleats 2 bymeans of the C-channel 21 which are in clamping engagement with thecleats 2. The channel 21 is also provided with a slot 44 to receive thecrimped ends 45 of the spreading means 4.

The side flanges 22 of the channel 21 are permitted to extendhorizontally beyond the clothesline cleats 2 to form parallel overlyingtop and bottom planes 23 and 24, respectively. The top plates 23 areprovided with the closely spaced openings Z5 which are positionedadjacent the clothesline cleats 2. ln a similar manner the underlyingplate 24 is provided with the vertical misaligned openings 26. Theground supports or legs 20 are slid upwardly into their respective topand bottom misaligned openings as illustrated until stopped by theabutment screws 27. The ground supports are thereby positioned in anoutwardly disposed manner making it relatively diicult to tip theclothesline drier.

The C-shaped channel 22 not only acts as a clamp to ensure continuedengagement of the cooperative members 15 but also serves as a means ofconnecting the ground supports 2d with the fewest possible parts. Thesimplicity in the identical cooperative members 15 and in the remainingparts of the drier provides a clothes drier which is economical andprovides ease in manufacture and assembly.

FIG. 3 illustrates a structural variation of the spreading means 4. Inthis figure, the arm members 5 are slightly received within the springhousing 28. A lever arm 30 is pivotally connected as shown at 31 to thehousing 28 to provide a mechanical advantage in compressing thecompression spring 32 disposed between the ends of the members 5. Whenthe lever arm 3) is pivoted about the axis 31 the arm members 5 aredrawn toward each other by the compression arms 33 which are pivotallyconnected between the lever arm 30 and their respective arm members 5.In this manner the spreading means 4 may be shortened in length andremoved or inserted between the clothesline cleats 2.

The spreading means as illustrated in FIG. 3 is advantageous in thatmechanical adjustment of the parts is not required from time-to-time asthe clothesline progressively stretches after long use.

One of the compression arms 33 may be provided with a slot 34 whichpermits the lever arm 30 to be positioned parallel with the spreadingmeans 4 when the arm members 5 are extended to the -full extentpermitted by the cleats 2 and the clothesline 3. This permits one to usethe clothes drier without encountering interference by the lever arm 30.

FIG. 4 is an end View of the clothes drier shown in FIGS. 1 and 2illustrates a locking means 35 which prevents the supports from slidingdownwardly out of the openings and 26 when engaged. The locking meansconsist of the shaft 36 which is bent at one end to provide the handle37. The shaft 36 is pivotally mounted to the top and bottom plates 23and 24 and is secured to the resilient wedge 3S. When the shaft 36 ispivoted about its axis the wedge 38 engages the legs or supports 20thereby squeezing them in binding relation with the openings 25 and 26.

The upward extending ends of the ground supports 20 as illustrated inFIG. 4 are provided with a taper which illustrates a structuralvariation of the abutment screws illustrated in FIG. l. The top openings25 in this instance are made slightly smaller than the bottom openings26 and the supports 20. Thus, when the tapered ends are insertedupwardly into their respective holes, the diameter of the supports 20gradually increase to binding engagement with the openings 25 therebyproviding a locking or abutment means.

FIG. 4 further illustrates two methods of anchoring the clotheslinedrier to the ground. In the right hand Side of the figure, the bottom ofthe support 20 is provided with the hollow foot 40 which is cementedwithin the support 20 and receives the bent spike 41 which may be driveninto the ground by ones heel. The anchor means illustrated in the leftside of the iigure is structurally identical except that the spike 41 isreplaced with the stem 42 which is provided with a dish 43 at its lowerend. The latter anchor means is preferably used in sandy soil where sandor small rocks may be placed in the dish 43 to weight the clothes drierdown, when found necesseary.

Referring again to FIG. 2b, the clothesline cleats 2 may be providedwithout the longitudinal abutments 18. In this instance it will bedesirable to provide more than two C-shaped channels 21 as shown whichmay be provided with inturned stop abutments on their side flanges inorder to clamp the cleats. Even when abutments 18 are employed, it isdesirable to provide a multiple of such channels on each cleat 2 toinsure this interlocking engagement. The term interlocking is used inthe claims in its broadest sense in order to provide claims which readon both structures.

I claim:

1. A portable clothes drier comprising a spaced pair of elongatedclothesline members having means to retain passes of clotheslinetherebetween, spreading means to maintain said members in spacedrelation, a pair of elongated ground supports for each member to supportsaid members above the ground, characterized by spaced overlying sets ofconnected top and bottom plates mounted on and extending horizontallyfrom said members and having an opening in one of said top plates and acorresponding vertically rnisaligned opening in the respectiveunderlying bottom plate for each of said ground supports to receive thesame in an outwardly disposed manner.

2. The portable clothes drier of claim 1 characterized in that saidspaced overlying top and bottom plates of each of said sets are the sideflanges of a substantially Cil C-shaped channel in overlying engagementwith one of said members with said flanges extending therebeyond toprovide said spaced plates.

3. The portable clothes drier of claim 1 characterized by resilientlocking means mounted on said plates to engage and lock said supports.

4. The portable clothes drier of claim 1 characterized by anchor meanssecured to the ground end of at least one of said ground supports toanchor the same to the ground.

5. The portable clothes drier of claim 4 characterized in that saidanchor means is a bent spike which may be driven into the ground by onesheel.

6. The portable clothes drier of claim 4 characterized in that saidanchor means is a dish having a stem connecting said dish to saidsupport.

7. A portable clothesline rack comprising spaced elongated clotheslineclearts securing passes of clothesline therebetween and each havingidentical elongated members with laterally extending projections whichinterpolate to cooperatively grip the clothesline therebetween throughreverse curvature, C-shaped channels in clamping engagement with saidcleats, and spreading means mounted between `said cleats to maintainthem in spaced relation.

8. The portable clothesline rack of claim 7, said spreading meansconsisting of a pair of elongated arm members each having one endpivotally secured adjacent each other within and to the side flanges ofa U-shaped channel, the other ends of said elongated members engagingsaid spaced cleats.

9. The portable clothesline rack of claim 7, said spreading meansconsisting of a pair of arm members each having an end in slidableengagement with a spring housing, a compression spring disposed betweensaid ends, a lever arm pivotally secured to said housing, a pair ofcornpression arms having one end of each pivotally secured to said leverarm on opposite sides of the pivotal connection of said lever arm tosaid housing and having one of their free ends pivotally secured to oneof said arm members and said other free end pivotally secured to theother of said arm members to compress said spring when said lever arm isturned about its pivotal connection to said housing.

10. The clothes drier of claim 9, one of said compression armscharacterized by a slot in slidable engagement with its pivot connectionto said arm member.

11. The portable clothes drier of claim 7, a selected number of saidC-shaped channels having their sides extending horizontally with thepasses of clothesline beyond said cleats to form top and bottom plateseach having an opening vertically misaligned with the other to receivean end of an elongated ground support member in an ott verticaloutwardly disposed manner, and locking means to secure said end to saidplates.

12. A exible material cleat comprising a pair of parallel elongatedmembers having later-al projections which extend longitudinallytherewith and interpolate to cooperatively grip the materialtherebetween through reverse curvature and prevent it from beingwithdrawn laterally from between said members.

13. The interlocking flexible material cleat of claim 12 chlaracterizedin that said members are structurally identica 14. The interlockingflexible material cleat of claim 12 characterized by means to securesaid cooperative elongated members together with the flexible materialgripped therebetween.

15. The interlocking flexible material cleat of claim 14 characterizedby at least one substantially C-shaped channel in clamping engagementover said elongated members to provide said securing means.

16. The i'lexible material cleat of cl-aim 12 characterized in that theprotruding longitudinal edge of each of said lateral projections isenlarged to interlock said members together when said material is'received therebetween.

7 8 17. The flexible material cleat of claim 16 character- 2,990,9617/1961 Schneider 1 211-48 ized in that said cooperative members arestructurally 3,085,692 4/ 1963 Lowe 211119.15 identical. 3,215,27911/1965 Leo 211-119.15

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,868,388 1/1959 Crites 211119.12,869,210 1/1959 Schneider 211-46 XR 5 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

WILLAM D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.

